Summer to Winter

(coat, Cos; dress, Topshop; cardigan, Gap; hat, William Sharp; bag, Cos; converse)


I try to wear all of my clothes as much as possible throughout the year which means finding clever ways to wear a Summery piece in the Winter and vice versa although this is only to some extent as I'm not exactly going to wear cashmere sweaters in the Summer! This dress is a really thin floaty neon slip dress from Topshop which I bought it the Summer sale but I only wore it a few times on holiday... So I decided to pair it with some tights, a warm cardigan, oversized coat and hat to bring it into the colder weather and it worked perfectly at adding a pop of colour and lightness to my Winter wardrobe!

With love,

Thais

Lively Skulls

Lively Skulls... that doesn't make much sense does it? But wait it is a little oxymoron that is the perfect title to my post. Skulls are the complete opposite of life and normally one might describe them as creepy, dark and a little morbid... But the skulls that I am sharing with you today aren't scary or dark, they are most fun and friendly!

(Skull bracelet by Shebee)

At my work experience at a boutique, I came across these gorgeous skull necklaces by a brand called 'Shebee'. They are really simple: just chunky Mexican style skull beans with jewelled eyes in fun colours and it's the eyes that give it a sense of humour and take away the ghoulish connotations of skull. I loved them so much as they were really my style; fun, quirky and cool. Unfortunately they were way beyond my budget and a little overpriced if you ask me (£300/400 for a long necklace the same as the bracelet pictured above) but I would love to make something similar. It's a great piece to make a DIY copy of!

(DIY customised friendship bracelet; Nail polish, Damsel in a dress by Essie)

(DIY beaded stretch skull and pearl bracelets)

And more on skulls. At home I have some mexican-style skull beans in bright colours. The bright colours are what make the skulls less gothic and more lively and fun. Although they are too small for the above DIY, I decided to use them to customise a friendship bracelet that I had lying around. Plus I did a little photoshoot. 

First the photoshoot. I had some beautiful pink roses at home and felt like getting snap happy and playing around with the settings on my camera (a Canon EOS 1000D). I liked the idea of arranging the skull in the petals of the roses as if they are emerging out of the flower with the contrasting symbols of life (the rose) and death (the skulls). You could see it as a little unsettling the way the skulls come out of a flower as it is sort of saying that death is always peeking it's head at you. But I see it more as the idea of re-incarnation and that death and life are part of eachother. Anyway enough analysing, I'm really pleased with the photos and the colours came out really well.

Finally, my little DIY. This is a super quick DIY. All you need is a friendship bracelet (homemade or bought; I bought mine in a shop in Covent Garden), some colourful skull beads, embroidery floss, a clasp (mine is a lobster claw) with a ring to attach it and a needle (the needle needs to be big enough for the floss and small enough for the beads. All I did was attach the clasp to the bracelet by unraveling the strings at the end and knotting the them to the clasps. Then I threaded through the skulls beads and secured it well.. Simple as that! 

I also made these beaded bracelet using whatever beads I had. I just strung my colourful skull beads with pearls, faceted beads and diamonte beads on elastic cord. Wear several piled up on your wrist and mix with other friendship bracelets.

xxx

Love,

Thais

The Perfect Winter Coat

(coat, Sandro; turtleneck, Uniqlo; leather pants, Whistles; bag, Maje; boots, Duo; gloves, Cos)

Now that it is getting colder here in London, I thought I would share with you my favourite coat, and what makes it my perfect Winter coat. 

Last Winter, I think I pretty much wore it almost every day to school. I got it two or three years ago from Sandro, and I've got to say that when it comes to finding that perfect Winter coat, it is worth investing a little extra for one that will last you for years and keep you warm. This one was definitely worth the money. Often wool coats aren't warm enough in the colder months but this one has slight padding on the inside for warm and a snug feel. It is a classic double breasted collared coat, but what makes it special are the details like the brown leather buttons, pockets, detachable shearling collar and my favourite, the dark silver zip which is a genius addition and gives it a little edge. Plus it's black, so it goes with everything. For my build it is a perfect fit as it is not too long that it swamps me, and not too baggy or tight. Finding the perfect coat can be a challenge, but once you do, it is most satisfying and everyday wearing it will feel like wearing a new coat.

With Love,

Thais

Sacai

(jacket tried on at shop, Sacai)

Whilst working at a boutique in London, I got to try on some pieces (mostly jackets as I could just slip them on over my clothes) when the shop was quiet. The brands ranged from Haider Ackermann to Moschino and Jil Sander to Alexander Wang. All were beautiful but there was one jacket that really stood out in the sea of sartorial wonders. It was a biker jacket by Sacai crafted out of a Prince of Wales check wool with a stiff but rounded shape. I love biker jackets, but what made this one special was the interesting design details: there were black buckled straps at the side, layered stripes of fabric on the arm, chunky silver zips and, the most eye-cathing detail of all was that at the back the fabric was sort of ruched and gathered at the bottom with alternating folds of white lizard skin material. It's jackets like these that are wearable, practical and stylish but have clever and unique details that make me admire the designer who created them.

So when I got home I looked into the brand Sacai. The name rang a bell but I have never really looked into the clothes until now... and oh am I happy to have discovered this gem. It was created by a japanese woman, Chitose Abe, in 1999 after working for Junya Watanabe at Comme des Garcons. I like her clothes because they are intriguing and innovative in design but still wearable and timeless unlike a lot of the pieces by other japanese designers like Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto which can look unattractive on the female body and frankly a bit silly. Here is what is says about the brand on the website:

"While her collections may appear to be about femininity, Abe’s interest is in creating clothes that are entirely unique and timeless, innovative and experimental. Juxtapositions of contrasting textures of fabrics such as knits with super fine wovens and usage of techniques based on reinterpretations of patterns of the garment transform the pieces into unexpected shapes and silhouettes.  To Abe, who is influenced by observing her surroundings and functions of daily life, the Sacai collection has a distinctive elegance that is based on renderings and transformations of basic and classical items. The result is a collection of items that can transition easily between various occasions and not only reserved for special opportunities."   
(from www.sacai.jp)

Here I am going to share with you a few of my favourite looks from her most recent show, S/S 2013

           
                                                           

    

    

    

    

           

    

(Please ignore the wonky photos, I couldn't get them in line!)

With love,

Thais

A touch of neon.

Here is a really simple and easy DIY way to update a plain shirt. 

The one I used is an old basic white shirt with a pocket from Massimo Dutti which I felt needed a little something to perk it up. Its the only plain white cotton shirt that I own but I have yet to find the perfect white shirt with the perfect collar, cuffs, buttons and fit to suit my liking that's not too expensive. Since this one does not tick all my boxes I decided to colour it in a little... literally. 

All you need is a fabric pen in the colour of choice and a plain collared shirt (with a pocket on the chest is the best). This DIY project is so simple that it doesn't need much explanationl; simple colour in the collar and pocket of the shirt (being careful not to get pen on other parts of the shirt) until fully and evenly coloured in! 

I wore it buttoned up to the top to really show off the collar with some leather pants, a soft tailored jacket and converse.
(The shirt details may look more lemon yellow in the photo but in real life it is a really fluorescent neon yellow)

(shirt, Massimo Dutti; jacket, Isabella Oliver; pants, Whistles; bag, Cos; hat, Joseph; converse)

With love,

Thais

The Pinafore Dress

I spotted this girl (pictured above) whilst shoe shopping in Covent Garden the other day. I just loved her pinafore dress, which I found out from the lovely girl is actually a school uniform. I love how she prevented the pinafore from being to cutesy with the addition of some mannish chelsea boots and a sheer blouse with just a black bra. The red lipstick is the perfect finishing touch!

I love pinafore dresses and dungarees, but they must be worn carefully. To tone down the girliness of a pinafore, I recommend some tough-girl accessorising like a leather jacket or you could vamp it up a little with a peak of bra showing through a sheer top and black eyeliner.

Here are two examples of how I would style this basic black pinafore dress from JW Anderson for Topshop:

(Clockwise from top left: Acne leather jacket, JW Anderson for Topshop pinafore dress, Marc by Marc Jacobs satchel, black tights, Servane Gaxotte necklace, Chanel booties, T by Alexander Wang turtleneck sweater)

(Clockwise from top left: Lanvin bag, Hermes scarf, Balenciaga coat, Comme des Garcons shirt, pinafore dress as before, Opening Ceremony wedges, grey tights)

With love,

Thais

Street Style

(Above: street style photo of me by Bilal Mustapha)

(Photos from The Sartorialist)

A few weeks ago, while running some errands around Bond Street, I was snapped by a street style photographer. (The first photo is the one.) It was the first time I've ever been photographed, and being an avid street style blog reader, I must admit that I was thrilled and honoured. I felt pretty cool the rest of the day and when I got home I immediately googled the photographer's name. His name is Bilal Mustapha, a young photographer and this is his blog. It has some great shots of street style around London.

Now a word on street style photography; I love it. I am fascinated by the way people choose to dress; the colours they are drawn to, the way they button up their shirts, the shapes they create with their clothes... When you first meet a person, you look at their clothes. It's a like window to their soul. (That said I must include the fact that many many people don't dress from their heart, but dress in a certain way only for others or to conform to society, which is a shame). When people do take joy in getting dressed, even if it's just jeans and a t-shirt, it's wonderful to see. 

However, during Fashion week, street style goes crazy. It becomes a case of fashion wannabes, fashionistas, celebrities, bloggers etc. competing to get photographed in their 'look at me' outfits. People dress more and more over the top, piling on every 'it' designer item that they can find in a quest to stand out in a sea of stylish people. Don't get me wrong, I love looking at street style blogs during Fashion week, it's an awe-inspiring visual feast! But does this really deserve to be called 'street style' fashion? Isn't the whole point of street style photography to find well dressed people in every day situations on the street? 

So after weeks of fashion week style, I'm dedicating this post to real street style fashion. I've selected a few photos that I love from The Sartorialist, one of my favourite blogs, in celebration of street fashion. 

Enjoy!

With Love,

Thais